HUYTON MASTERPLAN SPD - Knowsley

HUYTON MASTERPLAN SPD Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners July 2015 1

HUYTONMASTERPLAN SPDDRAFT Baseline DocumentJuly 2015

Allies and MorrisonUrban Practitioners


contents

Introduction and background 6

1.1 Purpose of the study 7

1.2 Study area 7

Urban design 8

2.1 Historic context 8

2.2 Layout 14

2.3 Land use 16

2.4 Townscape 18

Transport and infrastructure 23

3.1 Pedestrian and cycle 23

3.2 Public transport 24

3.3 Car parking and road links 25

Planning context 26

4.1 Existing and emerging policy 26

4.2 Planning applications 29

Socio economic context 30

5.1 Overview 30

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Economic context 32

6.1 Property market review 32

Key sites 45

Direction of travel 51

8.1 An emerging framework 51

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Diagram 1: the location of Huyton

HUYTON


Diagram 1: the location of Huyton

Diagram 2: The Huyton Masterplan SPD study area

Diagram 3 : 1845

Diagram 4: 1906

Diagram 5: 1938

Diagram 6: 1960

Diagram 7: Huyton Conservation areas and listed buildings

Diagram 8: A figure ground plan illustrating the variety of building grain and disparate block structure in the centre of Huyton

Diagram 9: The block structure within and immediately around the study area

Diagram 10: Land use

Diagram 11: Building heights

Diagram 12: Trees and green space within the study area

Diagram 13: Poorly defined areas of public realm

Diagram 14: Pedestrian routes

Diagram 15: Bus routes within the Huyton Masterplan SPD study area

Diagram 16: The Huyton Masterplan SPD study area

list of diagrams and figures

Diagram 17: Possible opportunities within the Huyton Masterplan SPD

Diagram 18: Initial strategic diagram for Huyton town centre

Figure 1: Liverpool City Region

Figure 2: Liverpool City Region transport plan

Figure 3: Map 6.1 from Knowsley Local Plan : Huyton and Stockbridge Village

Figure 4: Resident population (Huyton Partnership Area Dashboard, 2014)

Figure 5: Residents claiming job seekers allowance (HuytonPartnership Area Dashboard, 2014)

Figure 6: Community safety (Huyton Partnership Area Dashboard, 2014)

Figure 7: retail performance

Figure 8: available units

Figure 9: retail deals in recent years in Huyton

Figure 10: demand in Huyton

Figure 11: deals schedule

Figure 12: availability schedule

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Diagram 2: The Huyton Masterplan SPD study area (not to scale)© Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)


Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners was commissioned in June 2015 to prepare the Huyton Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) on behalf of Knowsley Council. Our team for the project includes GL Hearn, providing specialist commercial property market, viability and delivery advice.

This masterplan will supplement key local plan policies relevant to Huyton town centre. The masterplan will set out a vision for the town centre, establish masterplanning principles and identify sites for new development to seek to attract new investment to the centre.

This is the baseline document for the masterplan and provides a high level assessment of Huyton Town Centre and the immediate hinterland areas. This document establishes an evidence base and identifies a set of potential development sites. The baseline report concludes with a series of key questions which will be important to consider as the masterplan evolves.

1.1 purpose of the study

Huyton is located approximately 6 miles (9.5km) to the east of Liverpool on the newly electrified rail axis between the City and Manchester. Huyton also benefits from good road connections, with easy access to both the M62 and M57 with Archway Road providing the primary link to both motorways.

The town centre is contained by the rail line to the south and Lathom Road and the large Asda store to the east with Archway Road acting as the third side of this triangle, running from the north east to the south west corners of the centre. The town centre is surrounded by established residential neighbourhoods, many of which have a strong historical character. The majority of the town centre, ‘Huyton Village’ was demolished in the 1960’s to make way for road widening and redevelopment of the shopping centre.

The town contains a good mix of uses which define a number of clear character areas. Derby Road forms the principal retail high street through the centre. To the east and west of this are civic uses. Further west, leisure uses are located next to the station, with education uses just outside the town centre.

To the south east of the town centre, the industrial areas form an extensive bank of employment land focused around the former Huyton Quarry.

1introduction and background

1.2 study area

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Huyton started life as Hitune (translated as High Town), a small rural settlement noted in the Domesday Book. At this time, Hitune was located within the “West Derby Hundred”, manor lands which encompassed a wide area stretching across to the Mersey and North Sea. The settlement’s name varied over the next centuries, with Huyton firmly established from 1300. The original settlement focused around St. Michael’s Church, with today’s building of medieval origin which still survives. In 14th Century Huyton Hey Manor was firmly established, with the remaining land forming part of the de Latham lands.

It was not until 19th Century that Huyton experienced any real change. Responding to industrial development, Huyton Quarry was opened and became an important catalyst for employment and housing growth. Significant areas of terraced housing were constructed to house the workforce. In 1830, Huyton Station opened as part of the Liverpool-Manchester Railway line which was the first passenger line in the world. This led to further growth of the town centre and surrounding residential neighbourhoods. Huyton College for Girls was established around a complex of Victorian villas and became a prominent landmark in the town. In the 1960s the old Huyton village was significantly redeveloped to support road widening and the construction of the shopping centre. From this point, the town centre took on a very different feel and character.

2.1 historic context

Derby Road / Huyton Hey Road junction, 1930

2urban design

Derby Road from St. Michael’s Church, 1870s

Huyton Station, 1860


1845 - Rural beginings

In the mid 19th Century, Huyton was a small rural village focused around St. Michael’s Church. A school and post office are visible on Diagram 3.

The key axes of Huyton’s current road structure are visible including Derby Road, Blue Bell Lane and Huyton Lane. The Manchester to Liverpool Line, built in 1830, runs past the village to the south and the station is called Huyton Gate.

1906 - Victorian growth

By 1906 there has been significant expansion, responding to industrial development including the Huyton Quarry. Large villas can now be seen on diagram 4 such as along Victoria Road as well as terraced housing for the workforce.

Development along Derby Road has extended to the south where the council offices are located. A network of smaller streets has developed to the west of Derby Road and also to the south of the railway line.

Diagram 3

Diagram 4

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1938 - Early 20th century intensification

Further residential development has taken place in the area, particularly to the west of the town centre.

Other facilities such as schools, recreation grounds and the cricket ground, where it is seen today, are visible on diagram 5.

The red line is the SPD boundary within which comprehensive redevelopment took place in the 1960’s.

1960 - Post-war expansion and redevelopment

During this period the village underwent significant expansion and part of the town centre has been redeveloped to accommodate the Sherborne Square shopping centre. Road widening along Huyton Lane and Archway Road has also taken place.

Diagram 5

Diagram 6


Conservation areas and listed buildings

Although the central part of Huyton was comprehensively redeveloped, the historic fabric is largely intact at the edges of the study area. The conservation areas of The Orchard, St Michaels Church, Victoria Road and Huyton Church Road are all examples of good quality historic townscape within a short walk of the commercial town centre.

In addition, some of the immediate residential areas contain attractive Victorian and Edwardian homes and villas. These areas should be enhanced

and possibilities to open up views to key assets from within the study area should be explored, such as Huyton Parish Church of St Michaels.

Whilst the majority of the buildings within Huyton Village were redeveloped in the 1960s, key elements of the underlying urban structure of the centre remain. However, many of the secondary streets and routes have been lost, with some of the urban blocks having ‘fused’ over time. Opportunities to repair and reinstate these routes and paths should be explored as and when opportunities emerge.

Diagram 7: Huyton Conservation areas and listed buildings © Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)

St Michaels Church Conservation Area

Victoria Road and Huyton Church Road Conservation Area

The Orchard Conservation Area


History and character

The historic character of the surrounding neighbourhoods forms an attractive setting for the study area, protected by a number of conservation areas.

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Building grain

The figure ground plan clearly illustrates the contrasting character between the study area and its surrounding context. The relatively weak connections into the study area and undefined areas of open space are also visible.

Derby Road remains the key commercial street through the centre, but several larger parcels of land were redeveloped which has resulted in an area of more coarse urban grain. Sherborne Square and the adjacent Landsdowne Way development are cases in point.

2.2 layout

This is compounded by the piecemeal redevelopment and the land to the rear of Derby Road including the Council offices, the Club 3000 Bingo and the Asda development.

The comprehensive redevelopment and road widening that took place in the 1960s has resulted in an environment which feels isolated from its immediate hinterland. Opportunities to create a townscape which is more responsive to and respectful of its surroundings should be taken as they arise.

Diagram 8: A figure ground plan illustrating the variety of building grain and disparate block structure in the centre of Huyton© Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)


Block structure

Road connections into and across the study area are not simple and many vehicular routes are dead-ends. Small service yards and parking areas are located at the end of many of these routes. These contribute to a disjointed and fragmented townscape, particularly along Lathom Road.

A key objective for the masterplan will be to help simplify and improve the legibility of this block structure, improving the connections into the wider neighbourhoods.

Diagram 9 illustrates a key opportunity to help mend the block structure at the Council owned car park at Archway Road, with the formation of new routes.

Diagram 9: The block structure within and immediately around the study area © Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)

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Use classes

The land use plan (digram 10) illustrates the distinct areas of land use within the study area.

Derby Road is the main focus of retail, a spine stretching from Huyton Hey Road to Archway Road (A1-A3 use). Cavendish Walk, built on the site of the earlier town centre Asda store, is the newest retail development, connecting to the more

2.3 land use

recent larger Asda store to the east of Lathom Road.

The other uses in the study area contribute to the sense of Huyton as the civic heart of the borough with many institutional uses and services including healthcare, council offices and the library.

The study area is surrounded by residential streets, with Huyton Business Park located to the southeast of the study area.

Diagram 10: Land use © Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)

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Building heights

The study area is generally low rise with buildings of between one to two storeys. Towards the south of the study area the multi-storey car park and office building on the corner of Huyton Hey Road are slightly taller at four storeys.

The tallest buildings in the study area are Edendale House and the Municipal offices at eight storeys, visible from Archway Road.

2.4 townscape

Diagram 11: Building heights © Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)

Taller buildings visible from Archway Road


Landscape and greening

Whilst open space is limited within the study area, there are a number of locally significant green spaces including McGoldrick Park, Huyton wetlands which is the source of the River Alt, school playing fields and the cemetery.

The town centre environment benefits from expansive areas of mature and structural trees. Many central streets are tree-lined and these play a key role in

improving the townscape quality of central areas. It is also noticeable that green areas of public realm are well maintained and attractive, projecting a ‘cared for’ character across the town centre.

Derby Road, in contrast, has relatively few street trees and a key objective for the mastrerplan will be to consider how this green character could be extended into the high street, and connections across to the Parish Church improved.

Diagram 12: Trees and green space within the study area © Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)


Landscape

Whilst there is little public open space provision in the town centre, Huyton does benefit from a significant number of mature street trees which play an important role in ‘greening’ what is otherwise an urban town centre environment.

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Public realm

Due to the lack of a connected street pattern and inactive building frontages facing some key streets and spaces, extensive areas of poorly defined public realm characterise the centre. Car parking, service yards and large building setbacks dominate parts of the study area.

The masterplan should focus on improving these areas with particular focus on;

Area A - the Council owned car park. This site is adjacent to the most vibrant retail

Diagram 13: Poorly defined areas of public realm © Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)

A

B

area, attractive new library and benefits from a prominent Archway Road frontage. It has the potential to help improve the legibility of the area and create new frontage onto Archway Road

Area B - Lathom Road. This is an important link south to residential areas and the industrial estate south of the railway. This street could be improved by increasing active uses facing the street and by reviewing the quality and consistency of the public realm.


3transport and infrastructure

Archway Road to the north and the railway line to the south constrain pedestrian connections and have created unpleasant pedestrian environments in many places with staggered crossing points. However, recent improvements to the railway underpass have improved facilities for pedestrians using this important route. Derby Road is pedestrianised and many alleyways and pedestrian cut throughs lead back to this street. There is also a well used pedestrian route under the railway line and a route from Asda to the leisure centre.

3.1 pedestrian and cycle

There are no existing formal cycle routes within the study area. The masterplan will review the potential to strengthen the quality and legibility of pedestrian routes within the study area and identify opportunities to promote a safe cycling route.

Diagram 14: Pedestrian routes © Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)

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There is a well used network of buses which connect Huyton town centre with surrounding neighbourhoods and the rest of the borough. The bus station is south of the main retail centre, accessed via Derby Road and Huyton Hey Road.

Huyton is also easily accessible from central Liverpool by train every 15 minutes. There has been significant investment into Huyton Station including the electrification of the line. Huyton train station also has a direct service to Manchester Victoria and Wigan.

3.2 public transport

Huyton Bus Station

to Liverpool

to Liverpool John Lennon Airport

to Huyton Industrial Estate

to Prescot

to Kirkby

to StockbridgeVillage

HuytonHuytonHuyton

RobyRoby

Diagram 15: Bus routes within the Huyton Masterplan SPD study area© Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)

Modern bus station within Huyton town centre


Huyton is easily accessible by road, being a short distance away from junctions on the M57 and M62.

There is a significant amount of car parking within the town centre. There are a number of public car parks, both short and long stay within easy access of Derby Road. Asda has its own car park.

The study area is dominated by smaller private car parks located in service areas and adjacent to office buildings.

3.3 car parking and road links

The team will review with council officers the potential for redevelopment and reprovision of a number of these car parks. Car parking will be important to the economic health of the centre, but car park sites may present development opportunities which might, on balance, be considered to bring more significant benefits to the centre. The management of the existing car parks might also be an important consideration.

Diagram 16: The Huyton Masterplan SPD study area © Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)

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Regional planning

The Liverpool City Region Growth Plan sets the strategic vision for the wider area. Alongside the North, Central and South Investment Corridors, the Growth Plan provides an overarching agenda around economic development, housing, transport, employment and skills. As a borough with three town centres important to delivering the Growth Plan, Knowsley has a significant part to play.

In January 2015, the government expanded the original growth deal by £31.6m, adding to the original £232.3m of funding committed for investment between 2016 and 2021. The Local Enterprise Partnership estimate that the Growth Deal will bring up to 13,000 jobs; 10,000 homes; and up to an additional £200m into the Liverpool City Region economy from public and private investment.

A number of key projects have been identified for future funding including Heron Road into West Kirby. Projects which were announced in summer 2014 included access improvements to Knowsley Industrial Park, improvements to the A5300 Knowsley Expressway and other education and transport improvement projects.

A transport Plan for Growth (March 2015) has recently been published to bring

4.1 existing and emerging policy

4planning context

Figure 1: Liverpool City Region

Figure 2: Liverpool City Region transport plan


together the existing Merseyside and Halton Local Transport Plans. This sets a vision, access and delivery plan for investment across the combined authority.

Local planning

The emerging Knowsley Local Plan: Core Strategy due to be formally adopted later this year, translates the strategic objectives of the Growth Plan and sets a strong strategy for balancing and directing growth in the borough.

The Core Strategy clearly articulates that the three centres of Huyton, Kirby and Prescot should each grow to have an

equal role in serving residents and meet Strategic Objective 4 of the Local Plan to promote distinctive, viable and sustainable town centres. The plan states that the three centres are currently failing to perform to their full potential as locations for shopping, leisure and other town centre uses (Town Centres and Shopping Study, 2009).

Policy CS6: Town Centres and Retail Strategy sets out:

“Huyton, Kirkby and Prescot Town Centres will enhance their equal role in providing comparison and

Figure 3: Map 6.1 from Knowsley Local Plan : Huyton and Stockbridge Village

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convenience shopping. This will be supplemented by a complementary mix of leisure, health, residential, education, cultural, employment, service uses and complementary evening and night time uses.”

Specifically, the emerging Core Strategy promotes the enhancement of Huyton town centre through the following measures:

• Improving retail around Derby Road and Cavendish Walk,

• Enhancements to the public realm through environmental interventions,

• An extension of the mix of activities, and

• Enhancing the heritage assets in and around the town centre.

Huyton town centre will therefore need to accommodate further retail development and increase its mix of uses to support its long term vitality. The emerging Core Strategy suggests an increase of 4,100-6,800 sqm of gross internal floorspace by 2028.

A significant number of new homes in the surrounding area is an important consideration for the masterplan and will raise the demand for retail and service floorspace within the town centre. Housing growth will be brought forward on sites released from the Green Belt in

relatively close proximity to the town centre. The regeneration programme for North Huyton which will provide at least 1,450 new dwellings before 2030 will help to bolster the number of people using Huyton as their local centre.

The town centre itself will also have a role in supporting the provision of housing, and this will also continue to support the demand for new retail and other uses, as well as helping to support the vitality of the town centre beyond traditional core retail hours.

The planned expansion of Huyton Business Park (CS4), south of the town centre will also help to support the local economy and provide passing trade for the town centre.

The Infrastructure delivery plan identifies £0.2m of funding for the improved integration between Huyton rail and bus stations which will help the council to meet policy CS8 and improve the public realm in this area of the town centre.


There are a number of planning applications which have been made in the town centre over the last 6 months. These include:

• Change of use of the magistrates court to a police station on Lathom Road;

• Demolition of the former fire station and erection of a three storey care home and residential units behind Huyton Parish Church on Blue Bell Lane; and

• Shop front fascia alterations on Derby Road.

There has been interest from a number of larger food retailers in sites on the edge of the town centre. A key objective for the masterplan will be to identify sites within the town centre for these uses. Locating new retail provision within the town centre and, most preferably, on the high street, Derby Road, should be the preferred option wherever possible.

4.2 planning applications

Sites on Lathom Road

The setting of the Parish Church will need to be carefully protected in the context of any adjacent development

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Demographics

The 1970s and 1980s saw a significant population decline in Knowsley, with the population continuing to fall to 145,900 in 2011. However, there was consecutive population growth in 2012 and 2013 to 146,086 and it is projected that the population will rise by 3,100 between 2011 and 2021.

The structure of the population has changed significantly. In 1981, 28% of the population was under 20, falling to 25% by 2011 and the proportion of persons aged 65 plus rose from 9% to 16%.

Huyton had a population of 56,135 in 2012, living in approximately 25,808 households. This figure has decreased by 7.1% from 2002, in line with the trend in the Borough as a whole. The age distribution of Huyton is also in line with the Borough trends.

Male and female life expectancy increased by 0.8 years to 76.9 years and by 0.4 to

5.1 overview

5socio-economic context

81.0 years respectively between 2003-07 and 2008-12. This was higher than the Borough’s average but lower than the national average and has remained stable since then.

Income, employment and education

Huyton’s proportion of economically active people (64.3%) was lower than the Borough (65.6%) and 5.4% lower than the proportion for England and Wales (69.7%) in 2012. In March 2014, 62,4000 (66%) working age residents were employed in Knowsley. In 2013, 4.2% of the working age population in Huyton claimed job seekers allowance, slightly higher than the average levels across the borough.

The area has the second highest proportion of working age population in the North West that do not have any qualifications, at 16.2%. Progress in GCSE English and maths is being made, with passes in English rising by 13.6%

Figure 4: Resident population (Huyton Partnership Area Dashboard, 2014)

Figure 5: Residents claiming job seekers allowance (Huyton Partnership Area Dashboard, 2014)


between 2008-2013, and maths rising by 16.7%. However, English and maths scores are still 16.8% and 19% lower than the average scores for England with 43.7% of local school GCSE students achieving the 5ACEM standard in 2013.

The number of jobs in Knowsley increased between 2009 and 2012, from 56,489 to 57,896. The proportion of private sector jobs to public sector jobs has remained stable at around 75%:25% and this is consistent with trends in England.

Housing

The typology of housing in Huyton is very similar to the Borough more widely. Most of the housing stock is semi-detached and terraced housing. Flats comprise 9.3% of the stock.

Huyton has experienced a 1.2% increase in average house prices since June 2012. The average house price in Huyton is 9.2% lower than that of the borough (a price differential of £11,615).

House prices in March 2013 ranged between £67,216 for a terraced house and £167,726 for a detached property in Knowsley. In March 2013, the average price for an entry-level house was 4.7 times the average annual pay for a full-time worker in Knowsley.

Quality of life and level of deprivation

Knowsley is among the most deprived boroughs in the country; 44.6% of the borough’s population live in a lower layer super output area (LSOAs) amongst the 10% most deprived in England.

A total of 31.2% of all children in the borough were living in low income households, falling from 32.8% in 2008. This represents a gap of -11.1% between England and Knowsley.

Broadly in line with Borough trends, Huyton saw a decrease in crime of 36.4% between 2008/09 and 2012/13. However, perceptions of crime have increased.

Between 2007/08 and 2012/13, anti-social behaviour decreased by 60.4%

Figure 6: Community safety (Huyton Partnership Area Dashboard, 2014)

(All figures within this section from Knowsley Council’s indicator report, 2014 or Huyton Partnership Area Dashboard, 2014)

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Introduction

The following section provides a property market overview of Huyton, which along with urban design and planning considerations will build an understanding of the capacity, timing and likely distribution of land uses. The primary purpose of the property market analysis is to inform the emerging development proposals, ensuring that opportunities are created which reflect the local context and market demand but also meet the longer term regeneration objectives of Huyton.

The masterplan will be a key tool to promote and facilitate the delivery of new development within the town centre as well as helping to attract further inward investment. The masterplan will articulate a critical mass of new development opportunities, which will aim to widen the attractiveness of Huyton to employers, visitors and residents.

The content of this section has been informed through a review of the Council’s evidence base and also by both primary and secondary research. Specifically we have reviewed previous reports and findings relevant to the Huyton property market, analysed available data on leading property market websites and spoken directly to agents active in the area. We have also spoken to council officers and the Huyton town centre manager who provided a useful insight

6Property market and economic context

into landownership patterns, historic and emerging development proposals as well as highlighting the issues and challenges facing the town.

The overview considers all pertinent market sectors but given the character of the study area particularly focuses on the retail and leisure market sectors.

Property market overview

Before commenting on the local property market characteristics it is important to set out the emerging trends affecting town centre development as inevitably this will have a direct impact on likely market demand and form of development proposed.

Town centres context

The retail environment and the function of town centres have evolved substantially over the last 15 years. There has been a general move away from the town centre and high street as the focus for food and non-food shopping, combined with the loss of many traditional town centre civic and community functions. Significant in-town and out-of-town developments have combined to change consumer shopping patterns over the long term.

The expansion of retail warehouse parks trading comparison goods and the significant non-food ranges sold by large out-of-town supermarkets have eroded town centre trade. More recently, the

6.1 property market review


trend to remove bulky goods planning restrictions on first generation retail parks has resulted in more out-of-town comparison goods floorspace.

The retail sector has experienced a perfect storm since 2008, resulting in many retailer administrations and a fundamental change to the retail and town centre landscape. Two key factors have coincided to create this change:-

• Firstly, the recessionary environment experienced post the 2008 global financial crash has been deeper and longer than the downturns witnessed in previous economic cycles. The result has been a decline in real household disposable income

• Secondly, the growth in the use of the internet for shopping has dramatically grown in the last five years, enhanced by improved wireless connectivity and a huge uptake in mobile and tablet usage. The manner in which retailers account for and allocate multi-channel sales and how this impacts on their relative investment in ‘bricks’ versus ‘clicks’ is still an unknown, however it could have

a major bearing on the future demand for physical space.

As a direct impact of the above, retailers are becoming increasingly selective. The strong, more dominant centres are becoming even stronger, attracting the key domestic and international retailers and combining these attractors with an increasingly diverse leisure and food and beverage offer. Secondary centres are being squeezed and often leaking trade to the more dominant centres.

For many town centres it is becoming increasing difficult to offer the right type of space to meet the current space and configuration requirements of the major multiple retailers. The demand, particularly from the multiples, tends to be for large units to allow showrooming, full range merchandising, high levels of technology and an improved shopper environment. It is the larger centres and out-of-town retail parks that are often better matched to meet this need.

Figure 7 provides a useful summary of how the retail sector has performed relative to the other property market sectors.

Sector Total return 3 years to 2013 p.a.

Total return 5 years to 2013 p.a.

Total return 10 years to 2013 p.a.

All property 7.3% 8.0% 6.3%

Offices 9.2% 8.7% 7.2%

Retail 5.9% 7.6% 5.6%

Industrial 7.7% 7.6% 6.0%

Leisure 10.1% 10.6% 8.0%Figure 7: Source: IPD Annual Digest

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Figure 7 indicates that retail has performed the worst out of all property sectors when measured on total returns over 3, 5 and 10 years. Conversely it is the leisure sector which has been the best performer over the same period, which perhaps reinforces the trend for town centres from traditional retailing to a more diverse range of retail and leisure uses. The success of the leisure sector is predicted to continue and this is an area we expand on further below.

The convenience retail sector has also continued to grow. In particular, there has been huge growth in small convenience stores, with most of the main supermarket operators expanding in this format. This trend is expected to continue for at least the next few years, in contrast to the larger supermarket sector which has reached saturation point. Another key trend in the convenience retail sector is the rise of the discounters and particularly Aldi and Lidl. Both retailers have started to take significant market share from the big four and as a result are pursuing major expansion plans.

The leisure economy is a dynamic sector that has become increasingly important to consumers and has been growing strongly. There are a number of demographic and tourism trends which will continue to impact on tourism development and investment in the UK. The general demographic profile of the UK is changing in a number of ways:

• A greater awareness of ‘healthy lifestyles’;

• A greater concern for the environment and green issues;

• An ageing population which will stay youthful longer; people will remain more active;

• Overall growth in UK population; and

• A greater number of leisure activities, for example shopping and home entertainment, which are now competing for leisure time and spend.

Increasingly the catering sector is playing an important role in town centre renewal. There has been significant growth in the ‘casual dining sector’, which has been driven in part by the growth in brand chain food groups. This will mean that some independent restaurants will find it more difficult to compete in this highly competitive market place. Conversely traditional pubs have suffered from oversupply and most notably falling alcohol sales. A key trend is traditional pubs diversifying into food and accommodation.

The last issue of note is car parking. Car parking is an emotive issue, however, its key role should be to provide easy access to town centre facilities. The amount, location, quality and price of parking needs to be arranged to meet this primary objective. If this is not provided then the viability of a centre can be significantly impacted.


Local market characteristics

Good accessibility to Huyton town centre by car and public transport is a significant advantage. The centre is easily accessible by the motorway network being located close to the M57. The centre also benefits from connectivity to a number of destinations via rail links to Liverpool, Wigan, St Helens and other destinations, with the railway station immediately adjoining the town centre.

As mentioned above Huyton is one of three main centres in the Borough, which are offered equal weight in terms of the Borough’s retail hierarchy. The other centres of Kirby and Precott are very different from Huyton in character. This is particularly the case with Prescot which is a larger centre that has a more varied offer with a more diverse range of buildings / heritage assets.

Huyton is a product of its time and the form of development is typical of the 1960’s in that the retail core is largely low density and inward facing turning its back on the main vehicular routes surrounding the town.

In terms of size according to the latest Goad category report the town centre has an estimated 114 outlets, which are arranged within circa 390,000 sq ft of floorspace. The centre is dominated by Asda Wal-Mart, which is located east of

the retail core. The store is significant in scale and provides for a wide range of convenience and comparison goods. We understand the store extends to approximately 118,403 sq ft and is supported by 825 car parking spaces, which are arranged in a decked format.

The main town centre retail provision runs along Derby Road but there are distinct pockets of accommodation which vary significantly in terms of provision and quality of accommodation. The northern end of the High street is anchored by the Cavendish Walk retail development, which was completed circa 10 years ago. Cavendish Walk was delivered alongside the re-provision and expansion of Asda.

It is quite clear that the Cavendish Walk development has helped to improve the overall retail offer of Huyton bringing new tenants to the town including Wilkinsons, New Look and Costa Coffee. It has also helped to improve the quality of the public realm at the northern end of Derby Road. However, there remain a number of vacant units in the scheme, which we comment on further below.

Beyond Cavendish Walk, the town centre offer comprises a mix of multiples and independent retailers. Other multiples retailers in the town include Peacocks, Store Twenty One, Wilkinson, Boots, Superdrug, Poundstretcher and Home Bargins. In general terms the overall

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retail offer is concentrated, primarily, on the lower/middle and lower end of the spectrum.

Located to the east of Derby Road are two further areas of note namely Sherborne Square and the Shopping Village. Sherbourne Square comprises predominantly independent retail and service providers. The quality of retail stock in this location is poor and the upper floors are underutilised and in a number of cases fallen into disrepair. The overall quality of the environment in this part of town is extremely poor and uninviting. In terms of delivery we understand that Sherbourne Square is within single private ownership albeit the units are subject to a multitude of leasehold interests.

Turning to the Shopping Village, which is located south of Sherbourne Square, this was formerly an In-Shops concept, which fell into administration and as a result has received little investment in recent years. The Shopping Village occupies the ground floor of the town’s only multi-storey car park, which consists of circa 280 spaces. The Shopping Village itself is a collection of sub-divided kiosks but there are notable vacancies and areas which are underutilised. The connection from the shopping village back to the Derby Road is via Landsdown Way, which is an arcade consisting of a number of smaller retail units and is within the same ownership as the main shopping village.

The multi-storey car park is leased by the Council and comprises a mix of short and long stay spaces. The long stay spaces are well used by Council offices and also shop workers in the town. The short stay spaces are less successful as there are a number of surface and cheaper car parks located throughout the centre. With the pending increase in office workers as a result of the consolidation of Knowsley Borough Council’s administrative function coming to Huyton this car parking is seen as important in accommodating the likely increase in demand.

The main high street (Derby Road) from Sherbourne Square down to Huyton Hey Road is varied comprising a mix of multiples and independent retailers. There is a cluster of vacant properties located on the east side of the High Street just south of Lansdown Way, which are detailed in the availability schedule below.

At the southern end of Derby Road there is a cluster of multiples, namely Peacocks, Pound Stretcher, Iceland and Specsavers, which are arranged around a public square. The area also includes the post office, which relocated from 76-80 Derby Road to a smaller unit adjoining Specsavers. The vacated former post office building offers a good opportunity to attract new retail or leisure occupiers to the centre although we understand that the yard to the rear of the building is


proposed to be retained by the post office.

The Southern end of the town benefits from its proximity to the train station and bus interchange, which has recently been subject to recent investment. Also to the south of the town is the McDonalds Drive through, which is extremely popular and is located alongside a small public car park.

In addition to retail, Huyton also contains a number of service multiples in the form of banks and travel agents. Food and drink multiples comprise Costa Coffee, McDonalds, Subway and Domino’s Pizza. In addition to above The Barker’s Brewery Public House (Weatherspoons), which has been recently refurbished, is located on the north side of Archway Road. In general terms there is a significant under-representation in the restaurants and cafés sub-sector and with the exception of the Venue and Club 3000 Bingo located west of town centre there is no material provision of commercial leisure facilities, which results in Huyton having a lack of evening economy.

Availability

As part of our research we have reviewed a number of property market databases and spoken to local agents and the tables and commentary below provide a summary of our findings. According to latest Goad category report there is circa 15,700 sq ft of vacant floor space in the

town centre. The table below details the available units which are currently being actively marketed.

Within Cavendish Walk, the town’s newest retail development there are currently five vacant units. We have spoken to a number of the letting agents in the town and they report a challenging market with a continued lack of demand from retailers.

The agents indicated that the national retailers which they have attempted to

Address Sq ft Rent Agent

16 Cavendish Walk 1,847 £250,000

p.a.(£13.53 psf) GVA

5 Cavendish Walk 1,456 £28,000


22 Cavendish Walk 489 £17,500

p.a.(£35.78 psf)Mason Owen & GVA





34 Derby Road 973 £18,000

p.a.(£18.50 psf) Mason Owen

38 Derby Road 794 £29,000

p.a.(£36.52 psf) CBRE

67 Derby Road 733 £17,500

p.a.(£23.87 psf)Mason Owen & Partners

71 Derby Road 733 £17,500

p.a.(£23.87 psf)Wild Commercial

75 Derby Road 650 £17,500

p.a.(£26.92 psf)Mason Owen & Partners

77 Derby Road 1,099 £23,000


7 Lansdowne Way 641 £9,500

p.a.(£14.82 psf)

Hitchcock Wright & Partners

2-4 Lansdowne Way 798 £15,000

p.a.(£18.79 psf)

Hitchcock Wright & Partners

7 Sherborne Square 681 £9,000


Figure 8: available units

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attract to Huyton have been extremely reluctant and in the main have a strong preference to be located in larger centres and in particular Liverpool town centre.

At the independent end of the market the agents indicate that the high level of business rates is seen as a significant barrier. We have been advised that many of the units in the town are now been let on an overall basis instead of zoning and landlords are being more flexible in terms of rental levels considering offers in the region of £20-25 psf, which provides a further indication of the challenging market.

There is a general feeling that the development of a varied leisure offer could greatly assist the town centre, through increasing footfall and extending the hours of activity. The development of further food and drink uses aimed at the daytime and evening economy would provide an opportunity for Huyton to further enhance its performance. An increase in family orientated attractions and a better mix of uses within the town centre would also be desirable.

Rental levels / transaction schedule

Figure 9 provides a summary of retail deals in the town centre in recent years. As can be seen, the achieved rents range significantly from £12.67 - £23.14 per sq ft. Agents have advised that typically for newer space in the town the rental level is between £20.00 to £25.00 per sq ft on an overall basis.

Demand

According to national databases demand for Huyton is extremely low with only four requirements listed namely Savers Health and Beauty, Halfords, Claire House and Cirro. Figure 10 details their specific location and size requirements.

Address Tenant Sq ft Achieved Rent

15 Derby Road

Undisclosed Tenant 1,957 £32,000

p.a.(£16.35 psf)

87-89 Derby Road

Pound Stretcher 3,720

40 Derby Road Maine Hair 1,296 £30,000

p.a.(£23.14 psf)

41 Derby Road

Potential 4 Skills Ltd 1,370 £23,000

p.a.(£16.78 psf)

45 Derby Road Phones 4 U 1,669 £22,000

p.a.(£13.18 psf)18 Huyton Hey Road

The Forum Centre

WH Smith 3,076 £39,000 p.a.(£12.67 psf)

5 Huyton Hey Road Zygone Ltd 661

sq. ft.£10,500 p.a.(£15.90 psf)

Figure 9: retail deals in recent years in Huyton


In addition to the above active requirements we are aware that Aldi have been enquiring about a site on the fringe of the town centre. The above range of requirements highlights the current difficulties in attracting new investors / operators to Huyton.

Office and employment market overview

In general terms through the economic downturn investment yields have softened and rents have fallen. It is clear in the current market that delivery of employment uses will be challenging but nevertheless is important in achieving a balanced and economically sustainable town centre.

A key advantage for Huyton is the presence of significant employment in the Council’s offices, Government buildings

and health facilities. The proposed further consolidation of Knowsley Borough Council’s administrative functions to Huyton will provide a major boost to the centre from a spend and footfall perspective.

Outside of the public sector organisations there is limited commercial office provision in the town centre. The office rental profile of the town is currently low but this in part reflects the lack of new product in the town in recent years. Endendale House and the former Education Office on Huyton Hey Road are two privately owned office blocks both of which are situated in highly prominent locations within the town.

Edendale House is located directly adjacent to the ASDA supermarket on the junction of Huyton Lane and Lathom Road. The property is a multi-let office building built in the 1960’s and comprises 7 floors of accommodation. The ground floor of Edendale House is let to Job Centre Plus.

The former education office building on Huyton Hey Road was sold by the Council in 2013. The property comprises a four storey 1960’s office building with a mix of open plan and subdivided office accommodation.

Both Edendale House and The Former Education Office building have vacancies and the agents report very low levels of demand despite both being competitively

Retailer Requirements

Savers Health and Beauty

Seeking new spaces ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 sq ft in secondary high street /suburban locations.

Halfords Ltd

Halfords are looking for new sites as part of a significant national expansion, Size requirements are from 3,500 to 8,000 sq ft or sites of around 0.25 acre, with a minimum of 8 dedicated parking spaces.

Claire House Children's Hospice

Claire House Children's Hospice is looking to acquire new sites as part of their retail expansion. 400 to1200 sq ft, with 300 sq ft of backup space.

CirroCIRRO is seeking to acquire new sites as part of their retail expansion. Requirement is for 300 - 800 sq ft.

Figure 10: demand in Huyton

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priced. Set out below is a summary of the latest office transaction and availability schedule in the town.

Address Tenant Term Sq ft Achieved Rent

Former Education Office – Huyton Hey Road

Ingeus UK Ltd

15 Nov 2016 – 14 Nov 2006

6,000 £42,000 p.a. (£7 psf)

1A Huyton Hey Road

New Start Community Living Ltd

19 Feb 2015 – 18 Feb 2020

3,121£24,000 p.a.(£7.68 psf)

Address Sq ft Rent Agent

55-65 Derby Road Partial 1st floor

944

£5,551 (£5.88 psf) John Barker Hitchcock

Wright and Partners

55-65 Derby Road Partial 2nd floor

663

£3,898 (£5.87 psf) John Barker Hitchcock

Wright and Partners

Residential market commentary

National and regional context

The pre-2007 residential market was defined by a high identified need for new housing, constrained supply and forecasted continued growth in property prices. Development funding was more readily available from national and international lenders. In tandem with this, there was strong government policy support for urban living, leading to a development focus on apartment schemes.

In 2008, the global banking crisis initiated by the collapse of the ‘sub-prime’ lending market in the US led to a deep recession in Europe. This caused a property market crash in the UK as demand disappeared and values plummeted, by as much as 50% in some property market sectors and regions.

From 2008 to 2012, despite significant measures by the government to support the economy such as quantitative easing, historically low interest rates and the part-nationalisation of major banks, the economic recovery was slow, fragile and faltering.

Over the past 24 months there has been a greater air of optimism returning to the residential sector. This growth has been created by an improvement in the availability and a reduction in the

Figure 11: deals schedule

Figure 12: availability schedule


cost of credit, partly as a result of the Government’s ‘Funding for Lending’ and ‘Help to Buy’ schemes.

However, in terms of demand for residential development opportunities outside the major cities, developers are still concentrating largely on housing rather than apartment development. There are a number of reasons for this. Many developers suffered losses from overly-optimistic flatted development proposals during the recession and this is still influencing their thinking. Also there is a financial, and particularly a cashflow influence on this. Housing schemes can be phased with units being brought forward in relatively small tranches to react to demand and sales. It is relatively easy to increase or decrease the speed of delivery to ensure that holding and finance costs are kept to a minimum.

The nature of flatted development is that it has to be delivered in quite sizeable blocks and if sales come forward slower than was anticipated this can have a strong impact on viability. Accordingly there remains reluctance for developers to sign up to large-scale flatted developments unless there is an unquestionably high level of demand or buoyant established market.

In term of sales values the annual price change currently stands at 4.6 per cent, bringing the average house price in England and Wales to £179,696. There

remains a notable difference in the pace of recovering with the strongest growth very much focused on London and the South East. The latest reports (July 2015) from Land Registry shows an annual increase of 9.1% per cent in the south east. Over the same period property priceS in the North West were up by 3.4% with an average property price of circa £114,321, which compares to the national average of £179,696.

In terms of future growth, many of the main residential commentators have been revising their forecasts upwards on the back of the government housing growth agenda. A recent publication by Savills indicates a UK wide 5 year house price growth of 19.3%. For the North West region this has been estimated at 13.7% over the same period.

Local characteristics

As mentioned earlier it is proposed that housing growth will largely be brought forward on sites released from the Green Belt but in relatively close proximity to the Borough’s town centres. In total there are 9 sites earmarked for removal from the Green Belt and several of these sites are particular relevant in the context of the future strategy for Huyton town centre namely land at Knowsley Lane, land at Edenhurst Avenue and also the SUE planned for land bounded by A58.

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The Huyton residential market predominantly consists of post war semi-detached properties but there are also pockets of period housing as well as a limited number of apartment developments.

In terms of sales values the average property price in Huyton (according to Zoolpa) currently stands at £113,244. Huyton’s average property price is similar to that of nearby towns of Huyton-With-Roby (£113,053) and Whiston (£117,368) but is considerably cheaper than Prescot, which stands at £144,443. Set out below is a breakdown of the average property price by residential typology in the town.

• Detached - £218,291

• Semi-Detached - £125,924

• Terraced - £88,376

• Flats - £97,606

As a result of the economic downturn, like many other centres in the North West, the Huyton residential market saw a considerable decline both in demand and price.

In terms of the core town centre there has been no new apartment developments. Local agents report a continued lack of demand with developers not willing to take additional cost and sales risk associated with apartment development over lower density housing schemes.

The most recent apartment development in the town centre is Mulberry Lodge, which is located just north of Asda. The scheme experienced notable difficulties and ultimately a large proportion of the units were sold to buy to let investors at well below their original asking and indeed transactional prices for the earlier units.

There are also a number of older purpose built apartment blocks located close to Huyton train station. Within these blocks there are a number of units currently on the market which provide a further indication of sale value tone in the area. One bed units within the development are typically marketed for circa £90,000 and two bed units between £75,000 - £135,000 depending on quality and locality within the development.

Conversely to the apartment market, local agents report steady demand for housing typologies within the hinterland of the town centre. One such development is the Orchards development by Barratt homes, which is located 0.4 miles west of Huyton town centre comprises a range of 3 & 4 bedroom semi-detached Housing ranging. Sales value within the development range from £176,995 to £229,995. The sales agent confirmed that the units have received steady interest, which provides an indication of improving market conditions in the area.


Other notable new build developments include Queensbury Grove, Kingswood, which comprises a number of three bedroom semi-detached properties which are currently being marketed at sales values ranging from £124,995 - £130,000. Homes by Gleeson are also offering semi-detached properties with a mixture of 2 & 3 bedrooms for between £94,955 & £139,995 respectively.

In terms of future provision the council have undertaken recent research which has indicated that younger professionals have a strong preference to be located closer to Liverpool city centre or more locally in Prescot, which has a more diverse housing stock and varied leisure and evening economy offer. The lack of evening economy in Huyton is seen as a significant barrier to retaining the younger population and this represents one of the most pressing challenges to be addressed in the masterplan.

In conducting our research we have spoken to a number of local agents with regards to the possibility of future apartment led development within the town centre. There is a consistency of opinion amongst local agents that it is difficult to see how apartment development could be delivered viably in the short term in the context of the value characteristics, demand and demographic profile of the local area.

One agent stated that “Over 90% of their sales in Huyton are of 3 bed semi-detached properties being sold to families. The large majority of apartments in Knowsley Borough are occupied by younger purchasers who would prefer to be situated closer to Liverpool city centre and not in Huyton.”

Another agent commented “I believe that an apartment development within Huyton would struggle at the moment. An apartment block on Mulberry Lodge went onto the market in 2008 that struggled to reach required prices with a number of the units being sold to investors at almost £100,000 under the initial asking price. However, if the market changed in the future then an apartment complex could be considered since there is very little provision within Huyton and in the Borough”.

It is clear that residential development will not be the key value driver in the short term but it is important to highlight that the masterplan also represents a long term vision for Huyton. As such residential use alongside commercial opportunities in the core town centre requires careful consideration especially in light of the continued commitment from central government to assist meeting housing need on brownfield land.

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Knowsley Borough Council recently conducted a Retail Centres health check looking at retail provisions within the Borough. Although evidence has been collected across district and neighbourhood centres the purpose of this note have been to consider the three main town centres in the namely Kirkby, Huyton and Prescot.

Overall Total Units – Kirkby (168 units), Huyton (155 units) and Prescot (146 units) are all very similar in terms of

6.2 Knowsley Borough Council’s Retail Centres Health Check Overview

size and scale of retail provision being offered although the centres are different in character. There are a number of small differences between the retail areas but overall there very similar in terms of nature of retail provided, number of units provided, vacancy rates and other services as illustrated in the tables below.

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Comparison Goods - Huyton town centre has the largest amount of comparison goods floorspace in the Borough. The development of the Asda store located directly north of Huyton town centre and also the development of Cavendish Walk has helped to anchor the town and provide modern retail space, which has helped to attract a number of national traders such as Wilkinson and Newlook. Kirkby is marginally behind Huyton in terms of overall comparison floorspace with Prescot having the least comparison flor space out of the three town centres.

Convenience Goods – Huyton town centre has the lowest number of convenience stores out of the three retail areas. This is not surprising given the scale and size of the existing Asda store, which is located directly north of the high street. In terms of future provision in Huyton we are aware of demand from one of the leading discount supermarkets, which if a suitable

site could be identified, would help add to the diversity of the existing centres convenience offer.

A3/A4 Stores – The provision of restaurants/cafes and drinking establishments again are similar is scale and number of units between the three centres. According to the health check, Kirkby and Huyton both have a total of 9 A3/A4 units with Prescot having a total of 11 units. Local agent’s advice that across all three centres, there is lack of a leisure and evening economy and this represents a significant barrier to growth. Prescot’s evening economy is marginally better than the other two centres and given its character and demographic profile potentially offers the best opportunity to improve the leisure and evening economy across the borough in the short term.


Vacancy Rate – The three centres all have similar levels of vacancy. Local agents point to general market conditions, business rates liability, increased competition from large national retailers offering comparison as well as convenience goods such as Asda in Huyton as reasons for a low levels of demand. In addition the improvement in the retail offer and environment in Liverpool city centre as also captured spend form the outlying centres. The vacancy rates in the respective centres are as follows;

Kirkby town centre – 29

Huyton town centre – 24

Prescot town centre – 22

B1 Business (Office) – Importantly Huyton has the largest provision of office accommodation out of the three centres. Huyton has a significant office market, which is largely due to the presence of the administrative functions of Knowsley Borough Council, which will increase shortly due to the Council’s strategy to further consolidate administrative functions to Huyton.

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Considerations / implications

• There has been a sharp fall in occupier and investment demand for retail accommodation since the beginning of the economic downturn in 2007. More recently there are signs of market improvements but demand from multiple retailer interest remains predominately focused in regional and larger centres.

• Retailer demand, particularly from multiples, tends to be for large units to allow showrooming, full range merchandising, high levels of technology and an improved shopper environment. Demand is currently been driver by discount retailers outside the major regional cities.

• Increasingly the catering sector is playing an important role in town centre renewal. There has been significant growth in the ‘casual dining sector’, which has been driven in part by the growth in brand chain food groups. This will mean that some independent restaurants will find it more difficult to compete in this highly competitive market place. Conversely traditional pubs have suffered from oversupply and most notably falling alcohol sales. A key trend is traditional pubs diversifying into food and accommodation.

• The analysis indicates that residential development will not be the key value

driver in the short term but it is less likely to play an important role in the masterplan given the clear continued commitment from central government to assist meeting housing need on brownfield land.

• Development density will be an important consideration - typically developments over 3 storeys will incur additional build costs primarily associated with the building’s substructure. It is clear that the capital and sales value tone in Huyton is unlikely to support higher density private sector led developments in the short to medium term.

• It is clear in the current market that delivery of employment uses will be challenging but is critical in achieving a balanced and economically sustainable town centre.

• The consolidation of Knowsley Borough Council’s administrative function to Huyton could act as a catalyst for further private sector investment in the town. The increase in office workers in the short term will benefit the town centre and existing retailers through creating increased footfall and spend in the town.


Specific opportunity sites are not identified in the brief. Through this baseline work and in discussion with Knowsley Council officers a number of potential short and longer term redevelopment opportunities have been identified. The viability and deliverability of these projects will be explored in further detail as the masterplan progresses. Other smaller opportunities may emerge as the study progresses. Possible sites are numbered on the plan below and include;

7key sites

1. Archway Road car park

2. Bingo Hall

3. The Venue

4. The computer centre

5. The old post office

6. Sherborne Square

7. Multi-storey car park and market

8. Office building on Lathom Road

9. Huyton Hey car park

10. Fire station

Diagram 17: Possible opportunities within the Huyton Masterplan SPD study area© Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655 (2015)

1

2

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5

6

7

8

9

10

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1 - Archway Road car park 2 - Club 3000 Bingo Hall

Ownership Mix of Public and Private Ownership

Area (approx ha) 1.39

Existing use Car parking and petrol station

Commentary The site is located at the corner of Archway Road and Poplar Bank and comprises a mix of public and private surface car parks totaling 323 spaces as well as an Asda Petrol Filling Station with car washing facilities. The Archway Road car park is the Council’s principal surface car park in the town. Given the sites’ prominent position at a key route into the town centre there may be the potential to rationalise or consolidate parking in the area and release land for development. There may also be the opportunity to consider the relocation / re-provision of the PFS to a more appropriate location, ideally closer to the main ASDA store. Clearly with the consolidation of the Borough’s administrative functions to Huyton the overall provision of car parking for both visitors and workers requires further detailed consideration.

Ownership Single Ownership Private

Area (approx ha) 0.46 ex car park

Existing use Bingo hall and car parking

Commentary The Club 3000 Bingo Hall is located off Poplar Bank to the east of the town centre. The building is substantial in scale and together with the surface car park could represent a significant development plot. The site directly adjoins Huyton railway station and as such consideration could be given to how the town centre is accessed and the arrival point by rail could be significantly enhanced. The Bingo Hall is currently operational and we are not aware of any redevelopment plans and therefore any proposal would be dependent on relocating the business.


3 - The Venue 4 - Council computer centre

Ownership Single Ownership Public


Existing use The Venue - conferences facilities

Commentary The Venue, formerly the Huyton Suite, offers flexible spaces for meetings, conferences and wedding functions. The facility also includes a café and bar facilities. The Venue adjoins the main Council office and is also located next to the Huyton library to the west of the High Street. The venue has benefited from recent investment and is one of the only facilities open in the evenings (albeit this is generally only on prearranged events). We are not aware of the utilisation rate of the facility but given the range of leisure offer provided from the facility this should be supported and enhanced where possible.

Ownership Single Ownership Public


Existing use Council offices

Commentary The Computer Centre is one of several Council-owned buildings in Huyton. The building is a single storey purpose built office block situated directly west of Derby Road. The property’s exterior appears in reasonable condition but given the low density nature of the building and its position in the town it should be considered for alternative uses. This would be subject to the satisfactory relocation of existing Council operations currently run from the building.

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5 - The old post office 6 - Sherbourne Square

Ownership Private Ownership (Royal Mail/Post office)


Existing use Post office

Commentary The former Post Office site consists of ground floor with part first floor and was constructed in the 1960s. This site also includes yard space to the rear. The site is situated on the southern part of Derby Road/High Street and provides a good opportunity to create new retail frontage at the southern end of town. However we understand that the post office are proposing to retain the yard to the rear of the site for continued distribution uses. With the exception of the post offices intention to retain the yard space to the rear of the existing building, there are no notable physical constraints on this site but we are not unaware of end user demand currently.

Ownership Single Private Ownership (but likely to be subject to a multitude of leasehold interest)


Existing use Retail units and offices

Commentary Sherborne Square is an open roofed square consisting of a number of small two storey retail units. The upper floors appear to be used as largely storage for the ground floor units although a small section appears to be utilised as office space. The square is dated/tired and would benefit from refurbishment/redevelopment. Comprehensive development of this area would also help to address the relationship with Lathom Road. Whilst the site is understood to be in one single ownership, a key barrier to development is the fact that the area benefits from a mix of leaseholder interests. This is likely to present difficulties in terms of land assembly / agreeing a common future strategy. Although tired and dated given the number of units present in Sherbourne Square there is likely to be a not insignificant amount of income generated and therefore viability is likely to be challenging.


7 - Multistorey car park and market 8 - Office building on Lathom Road

Ownership Private Ownership

Area (approx ha)

0.39

Existing use Retail units with a multi-storey car park

Commentary The centre is known locally as The Shopping Village and is currently in receivership. The Shopping Village is linked to Derby Road via Lansdowne Way. There are a number of vacant units within it as well as large areas of under utilised space. At upper floors the car park has been subdivided into long stay and short stay car parking. The car park in total comprises 280 spaces and therefore represents a significant proportion of the total town centre provision. Similarly to Sherbourne Square, comprehensive redevelopment of this area could help to better frame the Lathom Road frontage. There are also notable vacancies at the southern end of Derby Road directly east of the Shopping Village and to the south is a standalone Former Education Office, which is a building of little townscape merit. Given the above there may be the opportunity to consider the entirety of the southern end of the High Street and how it could contribute more to the town centre offer and environment.

Ownership Single private ownership


Existing use Offices

Commentary This site consists of a former education office block constructed in the 1960’s which is now privately owned. The property comprises a four storey office building with a mix of open plan and private office accommodation. There is secure car parking available to the front of the premises. This building is situated directly south of plot 7 – the multi storey car park. As mentioned above the opportunity may exist to consider how the southern end of the town works given the clustering of underperforming properties, which have little architectural merit. We understand that the property is part occupied and therefore any redevelopment plans would be dependent on relocating the existing business.

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9 - Huyton Hey car park 10 - Fire station

Ownership Single ownership Public


Existing use Car parking

Commentary This site is a surface car park consisting of 104 spaces. The site adjoins McDonalds and also the bus interchange, which has been subject to recent investment. Development of this site would be subject to a comprehensive review of car parking need in the town.

Ownership Public ownership


Existing use Fire station

Commentary The site is located at the corner of Huyton Lane and Lathom Road just north of Asda and west of Edendale House (Job Centre Plus). The site is currently occupied by the fire service for training purposes. The fire services also have a second office a short distance away along Lathom Road, which they share with the police. Given the site’s prominence and its position beside Asda the site offers a good opportunity for redevelopment subject to the re-provision of current operations. This could offer a good opportunity to consolidate the Asda petrol station currently located west of the town closer to the main superstore. Equally the site could offer the potential for residential development subject to viability.


8Direction of travel

The following diagram provides a summary of the emerging spatial strategy. Key ideas include;

Diagram 18: Initial strategic diagram for Huyton town centre

8.1 an emerging framework

Promote opportunities to strengthen the existing block structure to improve legibility and connections through the town centre.

A series of possible development blocks have been identified on a number of the potential development sites. These would contribute to improving the continuity of frontages in key areas of the town centre. On Derby Road these new buildings should help to enhance the retail offer in the town centre and provide new homes above. On Lathom Road there may be an opportunity to introduce new residential frontage.

Seek opportunities to improve the existing retail frontage along Derby Road.

Strengthen the civic core of the town centre by improving the setting and frontage of these buildings.

Create a small public space enhancing the setting of the war memorial. This space would act as the civic heart of the town.

A series of focused improvements to the public realm including improving the continuity of materials, increasing tree planting along Derby Road and implementing a co-ordinated set of street furniture.


Disclaimer

Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners is not responsible for nor shall be liable for the consequences of any use made of this Report other than that for which it was prepared by Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners for the Client unless Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners provides prior written authorisation for such other use and confirms in writing that the Report is suitable for it. It is acknowledged by the parties that this Report has been produced solely in accordance with the Client’s brief and instructions and without any knowledge of or reference to any other parties’ potential interests in or proposals for the Project.

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